New Reports Refute The Claim That Mikel Merino Has Agreed To Personal Terms With Real Betis

Athletic Club’s pursuit of Mikel Merino seemed to take a major hit on Monday when it was reported that the midfielder had agreed to personal terms with Real Betis for a five year contract. The reports said that the Spanish club were going to be meeting with Newcastle soon to finalize the transfer fee and Athletic fans immediately began to think that the chase was already over. However, all of that seems to have changed, again, on Tuesday.

According to a new report from Javier Ortiz De Lazcano of El Correo,Real Betis have offered Mikel Merino a five year contract but he has not agreed to anything. He goes on to say that five clubs from La Liga have enquired about the 21-year-old, with three of them already known – Athletic, Real Betis, and Real Sociedad. Merino agreed to personal terms with Athletic back in January but a report from EiTBstates that the Lions have offered a new deal for five years which matches the proposal from Betis. Real Sociedad are also said to have submitted the same offer.

Right now Mikel Merino is studying the offers that he has received from interested clubs. He wants to leave Newcastle in order to return to Spain and play regular minutes and will reportedly meet with the team soon to discuss his future. The starlet is hoping to sign with a new club before the Basque holiday of San Fermín begins on 6 July because he wants to have a new home before preseason training begins.

The most interesting piece of this report from El Correo, is that Athletic, who have seemed quiet lately, have in fact been talking with Newcastle over the last few weeks. Their interest has remained intact and the two clubs are said to have a healthy relationship after going through negotiations in January. Sources have told Lazcano that Athletic could potential purchase Merino for a fee of €10-12 million. Athletic’s pursuit of Mikel Merino continues to be a whirlwind but it looks like there could finally be a conclusion by early next month.